Organizing for America | Sam Schoenburg's Blog: Michelle Obama Gets Standing Ovation at African Americans for Obama Meeting

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Michelle Obama Gets Standing Ovation at African Americans for Obama Meeting

By Sam Schoenburg - Aug 7th, 2007 at 6:27 pm EDT

Also listed in: Iowa African-Americans for Change

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Michelle Obama gave an incredible speech last week at a meeting of African Americans for Obama at Creative Visions, a community center in Des Moines. As the guests came in to fill the seats in the main hall, Polk County organizers Sam Liebert, Aaron Gardner, and Yohannes Abraham took the crowd through some recent business of the campaign, a brief caucus training, and an overview of how Barack's campaign is gaining excitement throughout Iowa.

When Michelle took the stage, she spoke about her campaign days, and especially how her increasingly busy schedule is affecting her family. She affirmed that she and her husband would not have undertaken the trials of a campaign if they were not able to provide a normal life for their two daughters. Her long trips are only day trips, and so it's just another day at the office for Mom, whether that office is in Des Moines or Ottumwa or New Hampshire. Michelle reminded the audience of her and her husband's commitment to family values, a focus, she said, that has been nearly forgotten in the current political atmosphere.

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Michelle's father, a blue-collar city employee of Chicago's South Side, was able to work hard and send his both Michelle and her brother Craig to Princeton. But in today's society, she said, it's become too difficult to reach that same goal of sending kids to college. It's not enough for Michelle or Barack that their children have that opportunity. There are too many kids out there, especially in the African American community, who can't even fathom that dream, or who scoff at it when it is in reach. We need to teach our children, she said, that striving for the best inside of us should always be the goal, and that that goal should never seem too far off to attain.

Barack often jokes about how a lot of people in the Washington establishment have labeled him a "hope monger," well Michelle can readily lay claim to such a title as well. She made hope tangible for the people sitting in the community center. She inspired Iowans to begin this change. She told them to make their voices heard for a couple of hours on a cold evening this coming January.

In a room adorned with powerful art depicting a history of rich culture, bitter oppression, and sweet - though incomplete - liberation, Michelle Obama touched the hearts of the audience members, and asked them who, if not Barack, can be the leader of this generation.

It is often said that Michelle Obama could be a candidate herself and I certainly became convinced of that at this event. Michelle is an incredible voice that we will all be lucky to have at Barack's side in the White House!

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